What is MAGI?

The Mahtomedi Area Green Initiative is a volunteer organization working to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources, produce renewable energy and encourage an enduring community commitment to sustainability. We are currently at work in Dellwood, Grant, Hugo, Lake Elmo, Mahtomedi, Oakdale, Pine Springs, White Bear Lake and Willernie in Minnesota.

This $1,000 merit-based scholarship was conceived by and initially funded through the generosity of local philanthropists Si and Vicki Ford and other MAGI supporters who were inspired by the passion and commitment of students who contributed to the success of the Zephyr Wind Project. In 2016 the Wildwood Lions Club joined MAGI in supporting this valuable scholarship through a grant to provide stable funding for the next 5 years. The award, now called the MAGI / Wildwood Lions Environmental Leadership Award to reflect that partnership is given to one MHS graduating senior who has demonstrated a commitment to school and community sustainability activities and is interested in pursuing a career in environment-related issues.

The fifth recipient of MAGI’s Environmental Leadership Award, Isaac was chosen due to his impeccable academic record, well-rounded list of extracurricular activities, essay and recommendations. During high school Isaac demonstrated a keen interest in organizing his classmates to understand that protecting the environment is about individual choices while he served as president of the ECO Club during his junior and senior years. Isaac will attend Cornell University in the fall. In his essay, Isaac stated that he plans on studying physics with the hope of contributing to the development of new technologies while also “learning more about the world we live on in order to better know how to protect it.”